All offices serve 3 year terms. Candidates running for City Council or School Board are voted on "At Large", which means all registered voters of the City vote on these races. Offices of Warden and Ward Clerks are voted on by City District.

List of Candidates:

As prospective candidates take out nomination papers, their names, address, office for which they are running, date which nomination papers were taken out, and date which nomination papers were returned will be posted here.

Should a prospective candidate return enough valid signatures to qualify for the ballot, that information will be indicated in the last column. This list will be updated weekly on Friday.

Office

Name of Candidate

Address

Date Papers Taken Out

Date Papers Returned

Qualified for Ballot? (Y/N)

City Councilor - District 1

Claude Morgan

75 School St.

8/4/17

City Councilor - District 1

Gary Moretti

22 Henry St.

8/3/17

City Councilor - District 2

Katherine White Lewis

153 Mussey St.

7/31/17

City Councilor - District 5

Rolla Dowling

80 Brickhill Ave

8/2/17

Board of Education - District 4

Matthew Perkins

70 Elderberry Dr.

7/31/17

Warden - District 3

Robert Stevens Link

17 Mildred St.

8/7/17

Board of Education - At Large

Mary House

131 Elderberry Dr.

8/8/17

Board of Education - District 4

James Doane

10 Snowberry Dr.

8/10/17

Board of Education - District 5

Elyse Tipton

35 Hall St.

8/11/17

Resources: Preparing to Run for Office

Candidates will want to be familiar with the City's nomination & election process, outlined in the City's Charter "Nominations and Elections". The City Clerk's office issues and files all nomination papers and is responsible for managing all elections. The City Clerk's office issues a helpful sheet to those running for office, summarizing important information and deadlines for all candidates available here.

Those interested in running for office will want to check the City's Street List to verify which City District you currently reside in and check with the City Clerk's office to confirm you are eligible to run for office.

Candidates will want to be familiar with the duties & requirements of each office:

Nomination papers will be available starting at 8:00 A.M. on Monday, July 31, 2017.

Nomination papers may be filed no earlier than 8:00 A.M. on Monday, August 28, 2017.

Nomination papers must be filed no later than 4:30 P.M. on Friday, September 8, 2017.

All nomination papers are issued and filed with the City Clerk,located at City Hall, 25 Cottage Road.

Nomination Petition Signature Requirements

Candidates running for City Council or School Board need 100 qualified signatures of registered voters of the city. The Charter indicates not less than 100 or more than 300 signatures. It is recommended that you turn in at least 130 to 150 signatures as some of the signers may not be registered voters or may have already signed and qualified another candidate. We have provided you with 8 petition sheets with 25 lines on each page. If you would like more, we would be happy to provide them to you upon request. (City Charter [Sec.] 1004. Nominations.)

Candidates running forWarden or Ward Clerk need 30 qualified signatures of registered voters within that district. The Charter indicates not less than 30 or more than 100 signatures. It is recommended that you turn in above 30 signatures as some of the signers may not be registered voters within that district or may have already signed and qualified another candidate. We have provided you with 4 petition sheets with 25 lines on each page. If you would like more, we would be happy to provide them to you upon request. (City Charter [Sec.] 1004. Nominations.)

Petition Reminders & Requirements

A voter may only sign nomination papers for one candidate for each office per district, or two candidates when two at large seats are available. (City Charter [Sec.] 1004. Nominations.)

The petition circulator must witness the signature of each person who signs. Circulators should not leave petitions in stores, businesses, etc. to be picked up later. Each circulator must fill out this form on the back of the petition sheets they circulated. The circulator must sign the sheet in the presence of a notary. This can be done in the Clerks’ Office.

It is unlawful to sign another person’s name to a petition (this includes the signature of one’s spouse).

The Clerks’ Office strongly recommends that candidates do not wait until the deadline to turn in petitions. If there should be a problem with the petitions, there may not be enough time for the candidate to correct the problem.

Campaign Finance Reporting

Maine Election Law requires municipal candidates in cities and towns with a population of 15,000 or more to disclose their campaign contributions and expenditures, to comply with contribution limitations and prohibitions, and to meet other requirements of the law. In South Portland, every candidate must register with the Clerk before accepting any campaign contributions or making any campaign expenditures.Please review the "2017 Municipal Candidates Guide" for more information. Registration forms are included in your nomination packet, and must be returned with your nomination paperwork even if you choose to exempt from collecting or spending campaign finances. If you choose to accept or spend campaign funds, you must file two reports with the Clerk's office. The 2017 Filing Schedule may be found here.Blank Campaign Finance Reports may be found here.

Campaign signs (placed in Public Rights of Way) – Campaign signs must clearly and conspicuously state that the communication has been authorized and must clearly state the name of the person who made or financed the expenditure.(See Ch. 8 of the 2017 Municipal Candidates Guide, "Campaign Communications & Disclosure Statements")